Despite a chill wind with an occasional tree-bending gust, there was sun enough for adders to spread their scales up at Great Fancy View in the Forest of Dean.
We saw four in total, including two snuggling up to each other, and a shy one peeking out from underneath the viewing platform.
Goshawks were performing high sky dances above the forest. These hefty hawks are usually quite frustrating to see, preferring to hunker down in the forest. Although Goshawks are named from the Old English for ‘goose hawk,’ they are more likely to chomp down on rabbits, crows, pigeons and the occasional pheasant. They don’t mind muscling through the vegetation to get at their prey and will even give chase on foot.
I know its cheating but here’s some impressive photos from the Mail Online by Rob Palmer – they were taken in California but it gives a great idea of the Goshawk’s power and determination. (The rabbit eventually escaped…)
Goshawks weren’t the only raptors bagged during the West Midland Bird Club’s annual jaunt to the Forest of Dean – Sparrowhawks, Kestrel, Buzzards and Peregrines were notched up too.
Earlier at Parkend, it was the Dippers that stole the show, their showy white breasts a clincher when perched above the stream that gurgles past a local pub.
At Cannop Pools, a male Crossbill took the plaudits. When in full finery, the Crossbill is a splendid fellow, puzzling that such a bright bird can prove so difficult to spot.
Male Crossbill – RSPB
There were plenty of tits and finches buzzing around a feeding station including a snazzy Marsh Tit and several Coal Tits.
Up on Yat Rock, a splendid vista unfolded below with a wooded valley hemming in the twisting River Wye. A Peregrine shot across the view and perched up by the rocky cliffs.
Film choice for The Flat Disc Society this month was an Apichatpong Weerasethakul double-bill: First up was a short-film Worldly Desires – an experimental love-story where a couple explore the jungle in search of a spiritual tree while a film crew shoot a musical video.
The main feature was the bewildering Syndromes and a Century, a Buddhist meditation on the mysteries of love and attraction, the workings of memory, and the ways in which happiness is triggered.
Syndromes and a Century is inspired by memories of parents, both doctors, and of growing up in a hospital environment. The two central characters interact with a bizarre array of professional colleagues and patients with their various strange maladies, including an elderly haematologist who hides her whisky supplies in a prosthetic limb, a Buddhist monk suffering from bad dreams about chickens, and a young monk who once dreamed of being a DJ and now forms an intense bond with a singing dentist, whom he believes to be the reincarnation of his dead brother.
The film, described as ‘random and mysterious’ defies obvious interpretation. You don’t say…
There was a little comedy to finally kick the month into touch at Artefact – a little community focused art gallery and café bar.
With an evening touted as “What a Nice Night,” Craig Deeley got proceedings under way with his usual aplomb, testing out some new material to an appreciative audience.
Also featured were Di Ellis, keeping her material soft and fluffy – thanks to her continued use of fabric conditioner, and Jack Crowe, a stream-of-consciousness poet with a liking for the surreal.
Joined at the Quip – a Sheffield Improv duo, presented a brilliant character-driven session to close the show after which a pub was calling from afar.
…and from the Crow Collection:
jacey666 